Microsoft Co-Founder Paul Allen Donates $1M to Gun Control Initiative

Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft and the current owner of the Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trail Blazers, has donated $1 million to a Washington ballot initiative calling for more gun control in the Evergreen State.

Initiative 1639

Initiative 1639, the brainchild of a group called the Alliance for Gun Responsibility, would raise the minimum age for all semi-auto rifle buys to 21; create an “enhanced background check” system; hold gun owners legally responsible if a child or other “prohibited person” uses an unsafely stored firearm; require the Washington Department of Licensing and law enforcement agencies to create a process that guarantees buyers are still eligible to own a gun; require notification when you buy a gun about the “inherent risks” involved with having a gun in your home; and establish a waiting period of up to 10 days for buying an “assault weapon.”

Paul Allen Ponies Up

The Alliance has until July 6 to gather the signatures of at least 259,622 registered voters. If it does so, I-1639 will make it onto the ballot in November. To help the effort, Allen and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer both kicked in $1 million, the Seattle Times reported.

Allen announced his support for I-1639 on his Twitter account:

My statement on a gun safety initiative in my home state of Washington:

Initiative 1639 is a reasonable and necessary measure that will improve the safety of our schools and our communities, which is why I have contributed a million dollars to the campaign. 1/2

In 2014, Allen donated $500,000 to Initiative 594, a proposal which called for universal background checks on gun sales in Washington. The measure passed with 59.3 percent voting yes and 40.7 percent voting no.